Cardholders begin campaign to opt out
GUWAHATI: Aadhaar cardholders in Meghalaya have launched a campaign to opt out of the scheme, saying they were misled and forced by warnings about curtailment of rights.
The Meghalaya Peoples Committee on Aadhaar (MPCA) will kick start the campaign officially in Shillong on Monday. As part of the campaign, many people who have already enlisted in the 12-digit unique identity scheme are planning to write to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), urging it to remove their details from the database. Besides personal details such as name, gender, date of birth and address, individuals also need to submit their fingerprint details, iris scans and a photograph.
Meghalaya is ranked 35th in the list of 36 states and Union Territories in terms of Aadhaar enrolment. According to UIDAI data, only 4.63 lakh or 14.3% of the state’s 32.30 lakh people got their Aadhaar cards till October 15 this year. “Despite enrolment for Aadhaar being voluntary, citizens are being forced to enlist with threats that they might lose their rights if they fail to do so. Also, there is a possibility of personal details getting stolen. That’s why we want to opt out of it,” Rev. K Pyrtuh of MPCA said.
Pyrtuh, who is a pastor and senior member of Meghalaya’s Presbyterian church body, said due to the unique position of states such as Meghalaya and Assam where threat of influx from neighbouring countries was high, people should be circumspect before giving out details.
“There are rumblings among citizens about Aadhaar for three major reasons. It will make it easier for non-Meghalaya people to get citizenship voting rights; its compulsory nature; and the suspicions regarding its use for surveillance and control,” Angela Rangad, convener of Thma U Rangli u Juli (TUR), a progressive people’s group, said.
Last week, MPCA held a meeting in Shillong where over a 1,000 residents who have enrolled for Aadhaar were informed about the possible impact on their right to privacy if they enrol for the scheme. MPCA has also drafted letters for residents in eastern Meghalaya urging them to make an “informed choice” and write to the UIDAI seeking to get out of the Aadhaar system.